Aftermath of Novato-Valley Christian

Another late game combined with an early deadline necessitated a quick gamer so I’m aiming to put in more game details and other notes in this space. First up, this was a huge game for both teams. Both are ranked among the top Division II teams in NorCal and had state championship aspirations.
The first quarter was largely a field-position contest with Valley Christian kicking off first and controlling field position by keeping Novato buried in its own end of the field. Valley Christian had more success moving the football early on but a couple of fumbles prevented them from scoring. (VC had 5 fumbles all told and the Hornets scooped up four of them).

In the second quarter, the Hornets got on the scoreboard first thanks to a Jeff Stephens pass to Jake Davis. Davis ran a slant route, got inside the defender and was gone 29 yards to put Novato up 7-0. Valley Christian rode its running game (a combo of Cameron Marshall and Anthony Olivares) to pull with 7-6 with just over a minute to play. If the Hornets thought giving up a touchdown so late in the half hurt, what happened next must have seemed 10 times worse.

Novato had a fourth-and-2 at the VC 42-yard line with 35 seconds or so left on the clock. They opted to go for it but running back Kyle Campas was held short of the first down. Still, with about 30 seconds left, the Hornets didn’t appear to be in too much jeopardy. That is, until Marshall got the ball on VC’s next play. Marshall, who could be headed to the University of Arizona next year, ran a counter play to the left side, broke a few tackles at midfield and was gone, stunning the Hornets and giving the Warriors a 12-7 lead. It reminded me of the devastating sequence Terra Linda suffered through against Analy leading by 2 scores in the fourth quarter and watching all of it evaporate in less than 1 minute.

The second half featured more of VC’s running game. They run a package where up to 3 backs could carry the ball and the handoffs are almost always based on misdirection. As VC coach Mike Machado said, “(Misdirection) is a big part of it and we’ll run stuff of it and run right at you.” In MCAL terms, VC’s running package has some similarities to Justin-Siena’s veer offense. It’s not identical by any means, but the handoffs are very deceptive and it was often difficult even from the sidelines to figure out who had the ball. The Warriors also had a third back, a wing back, who often lined up just outside the tight end a yard back and facing east-west across the field instead of north.

The other factor that made the Warriors’ run game so difficult to stop was Marshall. He was a man among boys no disrespect intended to the Hornets’ defenders. He reminded me of Kahlil Bell (the former MC back) who used to run over, around or through MCAL defenders with ease. I don’t remember Kahlil being as fast as Marshall though and, physically, this kid was ripped to shreds. I haven’t seen another high school kid with a physique like Marshall had. To quote him, “Our backs are bigger, stronger, faster. It’s hard for other teams to get guys like that to practice against.” Perhaps the Hornets could have brought in a Division I college back to practice against, but otherwise, I’m in agreement. There aren’t too many specimens like Marshall (5’10, 205 pounds of muscle) in the high-school ranks. The Warriors were even missing their other top back due to injury.

As I mentioned in the story, Novato scored on a Kyle Campas run to cut the lead to 19-13 early in the fourth quarter (9:58 remaining). VC took the ball and committed its fifth fumble of the game. QB Cory Gambello lost the football but Marshall was there to retrieve it. Still, the Warriors faced second-and-17 and the Hornets appeared to be in good shape. Stop the Warriors here and get the ball back with 7 minutes left trailing by just six. However, Marshall picked up 15 yards and Olivares converted the third-and-2. Novato had two other third- or fourth-down chances to stop VC but couldn’t until it was almost too late. They stopped VC on the 20-yard line and a delay penalty pushed them back further to make it 42-yard field-goal attempt to basically end the game. Kicker Phillip Thrappas converted the kick, put VC up by nine and Novato really had no shot after that.

On a side note, VC’s stadium is a sight to behold. Notice I called it a stadium and not a field. It’s a legit stadium. It’s huge, on top of a hill and the entire city of San Jose is lit up all around it. Spectacular. The stadium itself looks more like a college stadium than a high school field. I’m guessing it cost more than all the Marin fields put together. The crowd was huge too. VC isn’t short on parking by any means but every spot on the campus was taken and several people were parked illegally. The neighborhood at the bottom of the hill was all parked up too and many more people were being bused to the game from a nearby park and ride. It was truly unlike anything I’ve seen from a high school football game before. I guess it should be noted that the majority of the games I’ve covered in years past have been MCAL games inside the county, but still….

One Response to Aftermath of Novato-Valley Christian

Well Ian it was a nice write up for the Hornets. WE have been pushing for lights in Novato for our fields. Maybe one day Novato will get the idea of what importance it is to a team to play under the Lights. The young men hear the chomping of the feet hitting the field and get ready to play all pumped up. Not too mention the health benefits for the player’s on the field. It helps avoid dehydration for the player’s and possible deaths.